How to write short stories that sell and win competitions
Way Ahead has already proved, with its highly successful Creative Writing package, that the art of writing can be taught on computer. Now we have released Short Story Acumen, a fully-featured tutorial specifically for those who want to earn good money and win competitions with short stories.
There is a huge market for short stories – magazines, anthologies, some newspapers, and national and local radio are just some of the possibilities. There are also more and more short story competitions every year (including the Way Ahead Annual Creative Writing Competition), many offering substantial cash prizes and publication of the winning stories. However, only those whose work reaches a very high standard will be successful.
We said short story writing is an art. But it is an art that can be learned by those with the will to succeed at this demanding, but eminently enjoyable and fulfilling, area of writing.
Short Story Acumen employs an organisational metaphor. It is divided into six Departments:
Reception provides an introduction to short story writing and overview of the marketplace.
The Boardroom provides help with plotting and finding ideas.
Marketing gives detailed, up-to-date information about UK short story markets, and tips on how to approach them.
The Library contains a selection of published stories in various styles and genres, accompanied by commentaries from the authors.
The Switchboard is an easily updated contacts database.
The heart of Short Story Acumen, however, is the Workshop. In this Department, which is designed to run side-by-side with the user’s own word processor, the writer is taken step by step through creating a short story of his or her own. Detailed information about such matters as theme and setting is followed by an action guide to help writers apply the principles in their own story.
Short Story Acumen is far more than a course on disk. It is a tool for all short story writers – beginners, journeymen or professionals. Whether you are seeking ideas, looking for help with problems such as plotting or viewpoint, or simply want to know the best places to sell your short stories, Short Story Acumen is the expert friend at your side, always there to help and advise you.
Short Story Acumen uses full colour throughout, with many interactive features. It has been designed for ease of use, even by writers with little or no previous experience of computing. The price is just £24.99, plus £1.00 post and packaging.
